daring him to comment on her decision to keep Clive away from the job. Max knew he should keep quiet, but—
‘I really can’t see the need to keep him off work for another six weeks. We’re short of officers as it is.’
‘I’m not arguing with you, Max. I believe he’s unfit for work and that’s that.’
‘He seems all right to me.’ And how anyone could decide one way or the other after showing him a few ink blobs, or whatever it was they did, Max had no idea.
‘At least he seems more cheerful,’ Jill agreed, watching Clive laughing with fellow officers on the far side of the room. ‘Usually, I can’t get two words out of him.’
Max was about to comment on that, but then he spotted another familiar figure.
‘Don’t look now, and whatever you do don’t make eye contact, but Adam Smith is sitting in the corner.’
‘You and your shadow, eh?’
Max was halfway down his pint when Smith, swaying slightly, made his way to the bar to stand beside Max.
‘You’ll be busy looking for this girl’s killer then.’ His bloodshot eyes were sinking into his skull. The weight was falling off him. ‘That’s it, isn’t it? My Yasmin has been forgotten. Case closed.’
‘Not at all, Mr Smith. The case won’t be closed until your daughter has been found. I give you my word on that.’
‘Your word? What good’s that, eh? You told me you’d find her. It’s been four months now. Four months!’
‘I know.’ Max also knew that if one of his boys was missing, he’d be frantic, too. In fact, he’d be doing exactly what Adam Smith was doing, walking the streets day in, day out. ‘Believe me, we’re doing everything we can to find Yasmin.’
‘No you’re not. You’re looking for the bloke who killed that girl. And what use was she to the world, that’s what I want to know? My Yasmin has her whole future ahead of her. She’s bright, clever. She’ll make something of herself. Not that other girl. She was a drug addict, that’s what it said in tonight’s paper. Who cares if she lives or dies, eh?’
‘We’re doing all we can to find your daughter.’ His heart went out to Smith though. He wondered if Smith, too, was wondering if the killer of Lauren Cole had known his daughter. ‘Can I buy you a drink?’
‘No, you bloody well can’t!’ Smith spat on the ground at Max’s feet. ‘You enjoy your little party. I just hope you can damn well sleep at night because I can’t!’
It didn’t do to shout at senior officers in this place and a couple of PCs soon had Smith by the arm.
‘Leave him,’ Max said.
Smith freed himself from the officers’ grasp and stormed out of the pub.
‘He’s right,’ Max said when he and Jill were alone again. ‘What right do I have to stand here drinking a pint when his daughter’s missing?’
‘Every right in the world,’ she replied easily. ‘Yes, it’s awful for him and yes, we’d all be wrecks in the same situation, but you can only do your job, Max. And you can’t do that twenty-four hours a day.’ She looked at him. ‘ Are you sleeping?’
‘You should know.’ But last night, she’d been asleep within seconds and Max had tossed and turned beside her. ‘If you’ve forgotten, you can come back to my place and find out.’
‘Ha.’
‘OK, I’ll come back to yours,’ he suggested.
‘I thought you were supposed to be with your kids tonight.’
‘I am.’ As much as the idea appealed, he couldn’t spend another night at Jill’s. ‘And I will be soon. Come with me.’
‘I can’t. In any case, I want an early night.’ She emptied her glass and put it on the bar. ‘Be seeing you, Max.’
Max bought himself another pint, spent twenty minutes chatting to various people, then decided to leave them to it. And God help them if there was even a whiff of a hangover at the morning’s briefing.
After trudging through freezing slush to his car, he began the drive home. He was turning into Bailey Street when he saw the unmistakable
‘I really can’t see the need to keep him off work for another six weeks. We’re short of officers as it is.’
‘I’m not arguing with you, Max. I believe he’s unfit for work and that’s that.’
‘He seems all right to me.’ And how anyone could decide one way or the other after showing him a few ink blobs, or whatever it was they did, Max had no idea.
‘At least he seems more cheerful,’ Jill agreed, watching Clive laughing with fellow officers on the far side of the room. ‘Usually, I can’t get two words out of him.’
Max was about to comment on that, but then he spotted another familiar figure.
‘Don’t look now, and whatever you do don’t make eye contact, but Adam Smith is sitting in the corner.’
‘You and your shadow, eh?’
Max was halfway down his pint when Smith, swaying slightly, made his way to the bar to stand beside Max.
‘You’ll be busy looking for this girl’s killer then.’ His bloodshot eyes were sinking into his skull. The weight was falling off him. ‘That’s it, isn’t it? My Yasmin has been forgotten. Case closed.’
‘Not at all, Mr Smith. The case won’t be closed until your daughter has been found. I give you my word on that.’
‘Your word? What good’s that, eh? You told me you’d find her. It’s been four months now. Four months!’
‘I know.’ Max also knew that if one of his boys was missing, he’d be frantic, too. In fact, he’d be doing exactly what Adam Smith was doing, walking the streets day in, day out. ‘Believe me, we’re doing everything we can to find Yasmin.’
‘No you’re not. You’re looking for the bloke who killed that girl. And what use was she to the world, that’s what I want to know? My Yasmin has her whole future ahead of her. She’s bright, clever. She’ll make something of herself. Not that other girl. She was a drug addict, that’s what it said in tonight’s paper. Who cares if she lives or dies, eh?’
‘We’re doing all we can to find your daughter.’ His heart went out to Smith though. He wondered if Smith, too, was wondering if the killer of Lauren Cole had known his daughter. ‘Can I buy you a drink?’
‘No, you bloody well can’t!’ Smith spat on the ground at Max’s feet. ‘You enjoy your little party. I just hope you can damn well sleep at night because I can’t!’
It didn’t do to shout at senior officers in this place and a couple of PCs soon had Smith by the arm.
‘Leave him,’ Max said.
Smith freed himself from the officers’ grasp and stormed out of the pub.
‘He’s right,’ Max said when he and Jill were alone again. ‘What right do I have to stand here drinking a pint when his daughter’s missing?’
‘Every right in the world,’ she replied easily. ‘Yes, it’s awful for him and yes, we’d all be wrecks in the same situation, but you can only do your job, Max. And you can’t do that twenty-four hours a day.’ She looked at him. ‘ Are you sleeping?’
‘You should know.’ But last night, she’d been asleep within seconds and Max had tossed and turned beside her. ‘If you’ve forgotten, you can come back to my place and find out.’
‘Ha.’
‘OK, I’ll come back to yours,’ he suggested.
‘I thought you were supposed to be with your kids tonight.’
‘I am.’ As much as the idea appealed, he couldn’t spend another night at Jill’s. ‘And I will be soon. Come with me.’
‘I can’t. In any case, I want an early night.’ She emptied her glass and put it on the bar. ‘Be seeing you, Max.’
Max bought himself another pint, spent twenty minutes chatting to various people, then decided to leave them to it. And God help them if there was even a whiff of a hangover at the morning’s briefing.
After trudging through freezing slush to his car, he began the drive home. He was turning into Bailey Street when he saw the unmistakable
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